NIA carried out raids in Kozhikode on December 8 and seized several documents belonging to the Popular Front of India (PFI). The attack was connected to the case registered by NIA on April 13, 2022. It was about the criminal conspiracy of PFI for fundraising from within the country and abroad for operating extremist activities and engineering riots in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi. The seized items include documents about several terrorist training camps PFI organized and digital equipment, and several pieces of evidence. NIA’s press release said that they had conducted raids in Kalaburagi, Karnataka.
In other words, the soft attitude of the CPM-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) regime has been helpful to the terrorist outfit. Otherwise, Kerala Police would have done this job much earlier and sans many easy escapes. But, since the Union Government clamped a ban on the terrorist outfit, Kerala Government gave enough time to PFI leaders to go underground and remove their documents from the offices. According to media reports, raids were not conducted immediately but after a couple of days and, in some places, even after three days.
In Kerala, both the ruling CPM-led LDF and Opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) are always in chorus in flaunting pseudo-secularism. Whenever an allegation comes up against Islamic fundamentalism, they make it a point to blame RSS and Hindutva forces. Years back, when Abdul Nazer Mahdani was in Coimbatore jail in connection with the infamous Coimbatore blast case of 1998, both Fronts passed a unanimous resolution on the floor of the Legislative Assembly demanding his immediate release of him. It should be remembered that around 60 people were killed and more than 200 injured in that blast designed to assassinate BJP leader L.K. Advani. Reacting to the ban of PFI, LoP V.D. Satheesan unnecessarily dragged RSS into his TV bite. Both Fronts are in a neck-to-neck contest to appease the organised minority vote bank.
Here is the NIA press release in the context of the previous raids.
Press release dated 8.12.22
NIA conducted searches in multiple locations in Two states in RC-14/2022/NIA/DLI
- Today (8.12.22), NIA conducted searches at 03 locations in the Kozhikode district of Kerala and Kalaburagi district of Karnataka in case RC-14/2022/NIA/DLI.
- The case pertains to the criminal conspiracy hatched by the office bearers, members and cadres of PFI to raise and collect funds from within India and abroad for committing or getting committed acts of terror in various parts of India, including the states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, UP and Delhi, etc. It was also revealed that the accused persons were conducting training camps to indoctrinate and train their cadres to carry out terrorist activities at various locations across the country. The case was registered Suo moto by NIA on 13.4.22,
- Incriminating materials, including digital devices and various documents, have been seized during the searches conducted today.
- Further investigations in the case are in progress.
